Every sentient being has someone that they look up to at some point in their life, whether it be a mother, father, sibling, or maybe even a friend or celebrity. This person can be considered a hero, but not in the same context as Odysseus from Homer’s Odyssey. In this epic poem, Odysseus travels home from his victory in the Trojan War. His journey will take almost a decade, and the dangers he encounters will be great. Even when he reaches home his journey continues. These are all components of an epic hero. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus proves to be an epic hero due to his experience, wit, and determination. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus proves to be an epic hero due to his experience. For Odysseus to be considered a hero, he must face a long and perilous journey. His experience in
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Every hero has to face great dangers and external conflicts. To overcome these obstacles, Odysseus must use his head to outsmart his enemies—mainly Polyphemus, a cyclops and Poseidon’s son. In the text, Odysseus and his men fashion a stake to drive into the eye of the cyclops. However, they must wait for the right time to strike, and hide the weapon under a pile of dung. They know Polyphemus will never look there. Odysseus uses his sharp mind to both fashion the stake and conceal it. In a separate scenario, though still with the Cyclops, Odysseus is asked his name. To this he answers “Nohbdy: mother father and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy” (Beers and Odell 765). And so, when Polyphemus is wailing in pain over his missing eye and the other Cyclopes come to assist, Polyphemus relays to them that “Nohbdy’s ruined” him (Beers and Odell 766). By doing this, Odysseus and his men are able to escape the beast by tying themselves to the undersides of rams, which is also very intelligent. Although Odysseus’s experience and wit help him greatly, his journey home is not complete without his
Every hero has to face great dangers and external conflicts. To overcome these obstacles, Odysseus must use his head to outsmart his enemies—mainly Polyphemus, a cyclops and Poseidon’s son. In the text, Odysseus and his men fashion a stake to drive into the eye of the cyclops. However, they must wait for the right time to strike, and hide the weapon under a pile of dung. They know Polyphemus will never look there. Odysseus uses his sharp mind to both fashion the stake and conceal it. In a separate scenario, though still with the Cyclops, Odysseus is asked his name. To this he answers “Nohbdy: mother father and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy” (Beers and Odell 765). And so, when Polyphemus is wailing in pain over his missing eye and the other Cyclopes come to assist, Polyphemus relays to them that “Nohbdy’s ruined” him (Beers and Odell 766). By doing this, Odysseus and his men are able to escape the beast by tying themselves to the undersides of rams, which is also very intelligent. Although Odysseus’s experience and wit help him greatly, his journey home is not complete without his